Tuesday, September 06, 2005

A wake up call for us all...

This morning, Katie Couric was wading through the sewage in New Orleans…her nose screwed up and her shirt crisp and white.

“Most Americans are shocked that so many people were living in poverty!”…Katie said as her cameraman stood knee deep in shit-water trying to get her good side.

That, Katie, is both bullshit and the motherfucking problem.

A wake up call for us all…

A bitch does not see the Katrina fucktitude as a wake up call for conservatives alone. People will find a way to absolve themselves of their role in this shit. 52% of this country voted for Scooter…to address the role that his fuck-ups played in this disaster would be to self-indict, and people are not known to do that without a fight.

Why are we moving swiftly to the blame game and not looking at our own behavior? To really change our environment don’t we have to examine all the folks playing in the pool?

Katrina needs to be a wake up call for all of us.

Liberals…before we feast on the carcass of republican moral supremacy we need to examine our own behavior. Where were Hillary, Kerry and Dean? Where are our so-called liberal leaders? That’s right…sitting in a conference room with their public relations hack trying to find the right angle on this shit. Lawd knows no power hungry liberal with an eye on the presidency would choose to speak his or her mind at a time like this! No! Better to indulge in spin and examine the polls first. Motherfuckers.

We need new leadership and we need to stop looking to the same fuckers who fucked up previously for that leadership. Anyone who has pontificated about how now is not a time for politics needs to have his or her name erased from the leadership list. Anyone who hasn’t raised his or her voice in outrage needs to explain why! And this bitch would like to see my fellow liberals call out our own on their bullshit too. This is how they beat us, chil’ren. It is time to take back our party and restore traditional DEMOCRATIC values back to the platform.

The working class needs to cease separating itself from the issue of poverty. If your ass is living paycheck to paycheck then your ass is one paycheck away from being evicted and having your car repossessed. Stop deluding yourself that “those people” are living such uncertain lives. “We” are living uncertain lives. There, but for the grace of Gawd, goes this bitch!

Black people need to step back and examine how we abandoned our poor along with the rest of America. This bitch has been hollering for years about the apathetic, middle class, got your ass a degree and now you don’t want to be seen as up from slavery bitches who can’t spare one hour a week to fucking participate in the lives of a fellow black woman. My own ass grew up so far from the city that a bitch was shocked to learn how fucking black St. Louis is! This is our creation too…black churches that condemn gays but turn the other way at chil'ren having chil'ren and rampant hetero adultery…middle class blacks who attend church in the hood but are too busy to swing by and teach a literacy class…black intellectuals who are so removed from the struggle that they refer to their own people as something other than black…black princesses and princes who play the celebrity game while seeking to exploit poor black’s obsession with material items by branding some sad assed perfume as the new cool $200/ounce item worth selling your soul for.

No, my ass is not done…poor blacks that act like they are the first generation to be fucking poor. Every fucking generation of my family was poor and they still found a way to be clean, get an education and seek out industry. Poverty is not a blank check for ignorant assed behavior, motherfuckers. Having a baby is not a ticket to a complete lack of self-respect and dignity!

There was a time when the most revered black women were our teachers and nurses…now our children idolize young women who spend half their time confusing their own sexualized exploitation with feminism and the rest of their time trying to maintain the popularity their "black woman in heat" media image has created. Take a moment and search out dignity, pride and personal responsibility…you know, the kind of shit you find in your soul not the motherfucking mall.

Before we cast a shadow on the system we must examine how we all surrendered our own to that system.

American poverty was not created in some distant far away land then dropped into our cities and rural communities in the dead of night. Poverty is right in front of us…yet invisible, as the reactions of both liberals and conservatives demonstrate.

If this is to be a true examination then we must examine all the angles. Otherwise, we’ll just throw money at the problem then settle down for Thanksgiving dinner having convinced ourselves that this catastrophe is fixed and could never happen again. At that point, what separates our behavior from “their” behavior?

One more time…how many people in your community live in poverty? There are programs in desperate need of volunteers…not your money, but your time. There are communities in desperate need of your presence…the visual confirmation that not all people are the same, not all women have to hustle for the car note, not all people self-medicate their depression away, not all broke assed motherfuckers resort to crime, not all gay people are white, not all feminists are lesbians, not all lesbians are feminists, not all white people hate you and not all black people love your ass.

Looking at the failure of others is often easier than examining what we ourselves have failed to do.

A bitch's eyes are open, chil’ren, and focused as much on a bitch’s role as the role of the other side.

Even if people made an effort to do something themselves -- if everyone reading this blog went out and volunteered for just ONE HOUR a week...if churches encourages such volunteerism...not just "gimme money," but giving time and talent and ATTENTION...

Think of the difference.

Check out my pet charity -- http://www.josephspeople.org

We help the underemployed and unemployed get their shit straight, get a resume together, get decent clothing and help them job-seach. We also help find (and fund) insurance for the uninsured and housing for those who were made homeless by losing their job.

"Americans like to talk about (or be told about) Democracy but, when put to the test, usually find it to be an 'inconvenience.' We have opted instead for an authoritarian system disguised as a Democracy. We pay through the nose for an enormous joke-of-a-government, let it push us around, and then wonder how all those assholes got in there."---Frank Zappa

Hey again ABB:So, I think what you are talking about is a hot topic. I love it.

What concerns me is the desire of the un-poor, working poor, etc. to make the poverty striken (sleeping on the street in St. Louis, etc) people of the world like THEM. I get really concerned when people say things like "help them get their shit together" as if poor people are not together? Some of the wisest people I've talked to have been homeless on the streets. Also, when you try to impose your will upon people (not that you ever would ABB, I know better!) you immediately draw this line between US and THEM. It's horrible. What we need to do (and that zionist bitch K.C. would never understand) is to destroy the barriers between US and THEM.

Of course this freaks people out: "I don't want to be lowered to THEIR level" they say.

NO LOWERING. HELP YOUR BROTHERS AND SISTERS RAISE HELP. HELP MAKE RESOURCES AVAILABLE TO THEM AND THEN LET THEM DECIDE WHAT THEY WANT TO DO WITH THEM. you know what I'm saying?

The idea here is that we as democrats/liberals/humanitarians need to make the resources needed to be free and to make choices available to everyone. I said this earlier in response to Peggy. You can't make everyone the same BUT YOU CAN ASSURE THAT EVERYONE HAS THE RESOURCES TO BECOME WHAT THEY WANT TO BE. That's the issue. This issue pervades icky things like CAFTA, NAFTA, FTAA etc. Our government does not want people to have access to resources. This way, the Elite are maintained and the non-ELITE are continually fucked (and work to support the ELITE!) grrrr.

I like ABB am confused as to how the socioeconomic status of our fellow Americans seems recently unfolded.

I think everyone gets really afraid of talking about this stuff and it gets phased out somehow.

But, alas, I will continue (as will the ABB) to draw people BACK INTO the public and political arenas.

Oh, but Che a bitch is not completely on board with your thoughts. My ass is actually talking about educating people, encouraging people and being a catalyst for growth...otherwise known as getting your shit together.

This bitch believes in the unlimited potential of every one.

These are murky waters and one should navigate them carefully or you may stumble face first into a vat of patronizing stereotypes.

A person living in poverty is not the same as an aesthetic seeking wisdom in the wilderness…

Damn you're always on point. I too, am a black woman who grew up in the suburbs, a comfortable distance from poverty and the inner city. I am shocked, appalled and disgusted by what I have seen during this crisis and it has made me want to get involved and do alot more for black women and girls. I'm also much more interested in environmentalism as a result. I just wish it didn't take something so damned catastrophic for me to open my eyes. :(

Your readers may be interested in the following story on Alternet, which hits the nail on the head....actually, two nails with one stroke, if you'll allow me to stretch a metaphor: the tragedy of New Orleans, the Gulf Coast and Katrina AND the appointment of Roberts by Bush to replace Renquist.

preach it sister! and don't stop. God knows that in a few weeks we will all go back to forgetting that there are poor people out there. and God knows i am tired of having morality shoved down my throat, by so-called xtian groups and politicians, when poverty IS an issue of morality, perhaps even THE biggest morality issue there is.

As I said earlier ABB, the point is the availability of Resources. resources include education, etc.

It's important to understand that not everyone want to get "their shit together" and the togetherness of their shit is independent of what "we" think is best for "them." All we can do is humanitarians is make the resources available. Upon availability and accessibility the individual must decide what to do with the resources.

Now, I understand your point. A big problem with poverty today is that the poor in this country don't know where to find the resources and see that they are pretty much hidden. (there are resources taken and hidden from all of us in the world). I don't want to come off as saying "if they don't take the opportunity it's their problem." Clearly, that's not the way I think. But I do feel that upon availability and relatively easy access to resources would decrease the poverty status of the poor.

Now, ABB, my question to you is: is the definition of "together" universal? What about those of us who do not want to be 'together' within the hyper-capitalist American society? What about those of us who choose poverty as a path toward freedom? I mean, this is the problem with St. Louis' 10 yr plan (basically designed to sweep the poor under the rug)...the primary example of the 10yr plan success is a white guy (did you see this on the news?)

It's like, okay, all the homeless I see (except for the HOT HORNY HOMELESS) are African American, problem 1.Problem 2: there have been repeated protests on Washington to stop the 10-yr plan and stop the 'progress' associated with St. Louis' recent 'urban' development (i love how the use of the word 'urban' changes: Don't go to that 'urban' area" or " look at the "Urban" development."

Anyway, I think the real solution is to make the resources available, allow for independence and individuality to utilize the resources.

I do think it is important to EDUCATE the poor on finding and utilizing the resources.

So, I really believe we are thinking the same way...

I also agree that being a catalyst is important. I don't know what you mean by growth, but I'll let you explain that.

I said this earlier on your blog: Everyone feels like they need to be the VOICE of the poor, etc (as activist this is a general rule) HOWEVER, being the voice of the poor isn't helping them. We need to encourage and support their voices. When the time comes we can stand SIDE BY SIDE with our brothers and sisters. Create unity!!

Anyway...kind of rambling. I hate typing at work when people are hovering...grrrr.

this monkey had to settle down and take a few breaths after reading some of the comments here. che, i admit to being confused and a wee-bit frustrated by your posts. perhaps i am interpreting them incorrectly, that remains to be seen. are you joking when you made this comment, "It's like, oaky, all the homeless I see (except for the HOT HORNY HOMELESS)are African Amercian, problem 1"? jeezuz h. christ on a raft. what in the fuck are you talking about? you only see folks of african descent that are homeless? are we then to deduce that "HOT HORNY HOMELESS" are white? and really, what is a "HOT HORNY HOMELESS" person? i have worked with formerly homeless adults, and i can tell you with certainty, there is nothing "HOT" about being homeless. che, i now ponder your thoughts on poverty. you said, "What about those of us who chose poverty as a path to freedom?". choosing poverty=downward mobility. is there some underlying shame of coming from wealth? can't access to resources, some of them financial, be utilized to assist those without means/less means? downward mobility is a frustrating concept for those of us who were born into poverty and still struggle below the line. poverty is not glamerous. wondering if you'll eat or ever have a pair of shoes that fit right (or aren't hand-me-downs) is no "choice" for some. it's childhood--a life. and i really get a fucking kick out of trust fund babies going to deisel to buy a pair of $190 jeans that look all kinds of thrift store (faded, yellowing, torn). and i don't think many folks are attempting to wrongfully be the "voice of the poor". my voice rises from poverty. i don't speak for all, just myself. but our voices together make a difference. i will not sit in silence. and a question for you, che (hammer), are you of latin descent, 'cause borrowing the name and face comes with a hefty price?

Props to ABB! But look, wealth isn't all it's cracked up to be. Rich people, white and black, are often profoundly unhappy, and I (raised middle-class white suburban) am seriously considering living my life a bit poorer than my parents. I visited McDowell County, WV - one of the most depressed counties in the US - and though they could do a better job of using the money they have; most need to fix their families and teach their kids better and stop using drugs; the sense of community, and their ability to keep it real (part of which comes from their low income) was very appealing to me.

Hello from a Angry, Awakened, Aware White Man ABB. From my vantage point all the convoluted, complicated problems are but symptoms of a few core problems we as Human Beings perpetuate:

*We leave fighting the evils of this society to others. Risking your own ass for a higher cause is too uncomfortable for today's mind conditioned 'Murikan, not to mention robs precious time from that electronic narcotic known as the TV set.

*We let others do our thinking for us. Every aspect of American society is centrally controlled in a devious, mostly indirect manner so as to maintain the illusion of freedom. Most conflicts in this country are deliberately engineered years in advance in what's known as the Hegelian Dialectic-problem, reaction, THEIR solution which assfucks us all! Most left/right debates are meant as a diversion to divide the People against each other while the criminals in the ten thousand dollar suits loot our resources, saddle us with technology designed to make us dependent on their industrial society, rob us with taxation at every level that would have made Americans 200 years ago revolt. They endlessly add to the laws they make us follow, dumb us down in their state schools to be good little debt slaves, rob us of our God Given Right to Arms for protection-from THEM!